Jazz at The Wharf – 2022

This year is our 31st Institute annual jazz festival—featuring 7-time Grammy Award winner, Afro Latin Jazz master Arturo O’Farrill

With a fabulous new location, the jazz festival continues to spotlight top professional artists each year that light up the outdoor stage with hot summer jazz.

Admission is free. In case of rain, the concert will be moved into an indoor space at the same location.

This year’s concert features the Arturo O’Farrill Afro Latin Jazz Quintet, with Arturo O’Farrill (piano), Adam O’Farrill (trumpet), Zack O’Farrill (drums), Liany Mateo (bass), and Carlos Maldonaldo (percussion). The quintet has toured and performed at jazz festivals and clubs around the world.

Download the musicians’ biographies HERE.

Pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill is the winner of seven Grammy Awards. Born in Mexico, O’Farrill grew up in New York City, and began his professional career with jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis, Harry Belafonte (where he served a music director), and other jazz luminaries. In 2007, he founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the performance, education, and preservation of Afro Latin music.

Parking is available on the property. Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets, and picnics are welcome. As in the past, cold water will be available free to all attendees.

Conceived in 1992 and presented every year since, the Institute’s Jazz Festival was previously held at Renfrew Park and has featured a long list of jazz legends, including David “Fathead” Newman, Randy Brecker, Bud Shank, Houston Person, Gary Bartz, Karrin Allison, Lew Tabackin, Joey DeFranceso, Frank Morgan, Jeff “Tain”Watts, Rene Marie, Vincent Herring, Ingrid Jensen, Eric Alexander, Joe Locke, and Steve Wilson.

Download the history of our Jazz Fest HERE, with a list of all performers by year, since its inception.

Underwriting support for this event by lead sponsor, FirstEnergy Foundation, on behalf of West Penn Power, plus a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Further sponsors include Hamilton Family Foundation on behalf of Hamilton Nissan; Beverly McFarland, in memory of Tom McFarland; Andrew and Sally Sussman; and Franklin County Visitors Bureau.

Additional support from The Institute’s Today’s Horizon Fund contributors: The Nora Roberts Foundation; The John R. Hershey Jr. and Anna L. Hershey Family Foundation; Alma W. Oyer; APX Enclosures, Inc.; the Carolyn Terry Eddy Family: Carolyn, with daughters Connie Fleagle & Kim Larkin, and an anonymous donor, in honor of the life and work of Eunice Statler. Facility support provided courtesy of Jeff and Nancy Mace.